John Wilson (Fishing)
Encyclopedia
John Wilson is a British angler who has been involved with angling
television production for the last 20 years featuring on Channel 4
Television and more recently on the digital TV channel, Discovery Real Time
. Wilson was voted 'The Greatest Angler of all Time' in a 2004 poll by readers of the Angling Times
Newspaper.
Wilson was born in Enfield, London where he fished on the River Lea. He had careers in hairdressing, the Merchant Navy
and printing
before opening his own fishing tackle
shop based in Norwich
in 1971. Wilson now lives at Great Witchingham
, Norfolk
where he fishes on his local River Wensum
and owns his own lake complex.
Wilson was awarded a MBE in the 2009 Queen's Birthday Honours List
.
, game fishing and sea angling. He has fished all over the world in locations such as the River Nile, Zambezi
, Fraser River
system and River Ebro as well as many locations within the UK. Target species are varied from coarse fish such as pike, perch
and carp
to exotic species such as Sturgeon
, shark
and catfish
.
Wilson's latest series, John Wilsons Dream Fishing aired in Autumn 2008 on Discovery Real Time
TV. The series featured Wilson, his daughter Lisa Wilson and nephew Martin Bowler going 'dream' fishing across the world including New York State, Norway
, Scotland
and Wales
.
Wilson is also an author on the subject with several published works, and wrote a column for the Sunday Express newspaper until 2009 and continues to write within the UK angling press.
covering everything from fishing rod
s and fishing reel
s to sunglasses
. He also offers angling holidays.
Angling
Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...
television production for the last 20 years featuring on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
Television and more recently on the digital TV channel, Discovery Real Time
Discovery Real Time
Discovery Real Time is a factual television channel owned by Discovery Networks Europe.It was originally launched in the UK in March 1992 as TLC, a British version of the US channel of the same name...
. Wilson was voted 'The Greatest Angler of all Time' in a 2004 poll by readers of the Angling Times
Angling Times
The Angling Times is the UK's largest angling newspaper. They also publish Angling Times Advanced and Improve Your Coarse Fishing.Angling Times has advice from nationally known names in the sport, such as Steve Cole, Steve Ringer, Keith Arthur, John Wilson and Bob Nudd.The price of the publication...
Newspaper.
Wilson was born in Enfield, London where he fished on the River Lea. He had careers in hairdressing, the Merchant Navy
Merchant Navy
The Merchant Navy is the maritime register of the United Kingdom, and describes the seagoing commercial interests of UK-registered ships and their crews. Merchant Navy vessels fly the Red Ensign and are regulated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency...
and printing
Printing
Printing is a process for reproducing text and image, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing....
before opening his own fishing tackle
Fishing tackle
Fishing tackle, is a general term that refers to the equipment used by fishermen when fishing. Almost any equipment or gear used for fishing can be called fishing tackle. Some examples are hooks, lines, sinkers, floats, rods, reels, baits, lures, spears, nets, gaffs, traps, waders and tackle...
shop based in Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
in 1971. Wilson now lives at Great Witchingham
Great Witchingham
Great Witchingham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk about north-west of Norwich.It covers an area of and had a population of 564 in 235 households as of the 2001 census....
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
where he fishes on his local River Wensum
River Wensum
The River Wensum is a chalk fed river in Norfolk, England and a tributary of the River Yare despite being the larger of the two rivers. The complete river is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation ....
and owns his own lake complex.
Wilson was awarded a MBE in the 2009 Queen's Birthday Honours List
Queen's Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the celebration of the Queen's Official Birthday in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen...
.
Published works
Wilson is best known for his television programmes which cover coarse fishingCoarse fishing
Coarse fishing is a term used in the United Kingdom and Ireland for angling for coarse fish, which are those types of freshwater fish other than game fish . The sport and the techniques used are particularly popular in the United Kingdom and mainland Europe.-History:The term "coarse fishing"...
, game fishing and sea angling. He has fished all over the world in locations such as the River Nile, Zambezi
Zambezi
The Zambezi is the fourth-longest river in Africa, and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. The area of its basin is , slightly less than half that of the Nile...
, Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
system and River Ebro as well as many locations within the UK. Target species are varied from coarse fish such as pike, perch
Perch
Perch is a common name for fish of the genus Perca, freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which there are three species in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Perciformes, from the Greek perke meaning spotted, and the...
and carp
Carp
Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...
to exotic species such as Sturgeon
Sturgeon
Sturgeon is the common name used for some 26 species of fish in the family Acipenseridae, including the genera Acipenser, Huso, Scaphirhynchus and Pseudoscaphirhynchus. The term includes over 20 species commonly referred to as sturgeon and several closely related species that have distinct common...
, shark
Shark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
and catfish
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
.
Wilson's latest series, John Wilsons Dream Fishing aired in Autumn 2008 on Discovery Real Time
Discovery Real Time
Discovery Real Time is a factual television channel owned by Discovery Networks Europe.It was originally launched in the UK in March 1992 as TLC, a British version of the US channel of the same name...
TV. The series featured Wilson, his daughter Lisa Wilson and nephew Martin Bowler going 'dream' fishing across the world including New York State, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
Wilson is also an author on the subject with several published works, and wrote a column for the Sunday Express newspaper until 2009 and continues to write within the UK angling press.
Television series and available DVDs
- Go Fishing - (1986–2002)
- Go Fishing Specials (2002 -)
- John Wilson's Fishing Safari (2004)
- John Wilson's Dream Fishing (2007)
- John Wilson's 20 Greatest Catches (2008)
- John Wilson's Fishing World (2009)
Books
- Where to Fish in Norfolk and Suffolk (1985)(1996) ISBN 0711701830
- Wilson's Angle (1993)
- Catch Pike (1994)
- "Go Fishing" Year (A Channel Four book) (1991)
- The Complete Coarse Fisherman (1996) ISBN 1852831553
- John Wilson's Coarse Fishing Method Manual (1997)
- "Go Fishing": Programme Notes from the Anglia Television Series Presented by John Wilson (1997)
- Fifty Years a Fisherman (1999)
- John Wilson's Fishing Encyclopedia (2000)
- John Wilson's Book of Baits (2001)
- Catch Carp and Tench with John Wilson (2001)
- John Wilson's Little Book of Knots (2002)
- John Wilson's Greatest Fishing Adventures (2002)
- The Definitive Guide on Where to Fish in Norfolk and Suffolk (2002) ISBN 0953185184
- John Wilson's World of Fishing (2004)
- Another Fishing Year (2006)
- John Wilson's 1001 Top Angling Tips (2007)
- Sixty years a Fisherman (2008)
- Catfishing: A Practical Guide - Foreword
Other
In addition to his television and written work John Wilson has his own branded range of fishing tackleFishing tackle
Fishing tackle, is a general term that refers to the equipment used by fishermen when fishing. Almost any equipment or gear used for fishing can be called fishing tackle. Some examples are hooks, lines, sinkers, floats, rods, reels, baits, lures, spears, nets, gaffs, traps, waders and tackle...
covering everything from fishing rod
Fishing rod
A fishing rod or a fishing pole is a tool used to catch fish, usually in conjunction with the pastime of angling, and can also be used in competition casting. . A length of fishing line is attached to a long, flexible rod or pole: one end terminates in a hook for catching the fish...
s and fishing reel
Fishing reel
A fishing reel is a "cylindrical device attached to a fishing rod used in winding the line". Modern fishing reels usually have fittings which make it easier to retrieve the line and deploy it for better accuracy or distance. Fishing reels are traditionally used in the recreational sport of angling...
s to sunglasses
Sunglasses
Sunglasses or sun glasses are a form of protective eyewear designed primarily to prevent bright sunlight and high-energy visible light from damaging or discomforting the eyes. They can sometimes also function as a visual aid, as variously termed spectacles or glasses exist, featuring lenses that...
. He also offers angling holidays.